In recent years, an information terminal such as a mobile phone, a computer peripheral device such as a printer and a scanner, and an information home appliance such as a DVD recorder have been used as information utilizing devices having multiple functions, in various places not only on business but also at home. In order to allow users to perform the multiple functions of such information utilizing devices, techniques for controlling display on function operation screens have been widely available. In these techniques, display is controlled on a function operation screen such as a function selection screen to allow users to select necessary ones of a plurality of function items sequentially displayed on the screen.
The following will discuss a conventional method of controlling display on a function operation screen.
An information utilizing device such as a mobile phone and an information home appliance has various functions. Thus when the information utilizing device is operated to perform a desired function, a complicated operating procedure is necessary. For example, when writing an e-mail on a mobile phone, complicated key operations with many keystrokes are necessary in the writing of an address, a title, and a message.
To facilitate such complicated functions and key operations, special function keys are provided which memorize frequently used operations, so that the number of keystrokes is reduced. In another conventional technique (e.g., see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-244306), a device is caused to learn and memorize complicated key operations. In still another conventional technique, frequently used operation screens are displayed more quickly.